Help us explore how biochar works in local soils using your personal, community, or school garden. Biochar has been shown in lab tests and scientific field trials around the world to be beneficial for soil health and plant production, and we want to test it in Sonoma County and the Bay Area. The project is easy, fun, and will be an interesting, science-based activity for the whole family. We are particularly interested in partnering with school and community gardens, so please let us know if you are connected to one of these.

All you will need is space for two 3’X3′ plots (preferably using the section of your garden with the WORST soil), some seeds or starts, a camera, a measuring device (a home- made pole ruler works fine), and email capability. You will be engaging in a scientifically accepted form of research called photo-monitoring-the simplest U.S. EPA-approved method of demonstrating plant success.

We will provide you with free bags of biochar and compost blended together, instructions on how to plant, how to take the photos in a scientifically accepted manner, and when and where to send them to add to our data set. We are working on expanding our web site and developing a special blog to allow you to stay connected to the project and see the results others are having.

Distribution will take place on Saturday April 20th at several locations in the town of Sonoma, and we are looking for volunteers and distribution locations in other areas of Sonoma County (and elsewhere) to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible.

We only have 200 bags to give out so please click the link below to reserve yours now. We are taking reservations on a first-come, first-served basis. Feel free to tell friends and neighbors about this experiment, and if they are willing to take part in the planting and photo-monitoring protocols please have them sign up as well.

Click the link below and scroll down to fill out the
simple form. Please indicate if you can help us
bag or distribute the biochar as well.

Distribution Date: Saturday April 20th, 9 A.M. to noon, at Sonoma Garden Park & 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. at the Sonoma Ecology Center Earth Day Celebration at the Sonoma Plaza. You will be sent directions and other information when you sign up.

The Sonoma Biochar Initiative (SBI), in collaboration with Dr. Cecile Girardin of the UK Big Biochar Experiment, the Sonoma Valley High School Earth Club, The Sonoma Ecology Center, and Sonoma Compost Company, is spearheading a Biochar Citizen Science Project to gather data on the use of biochar in local gardens. You can check out out our web page here: http://www.sonomabiocharinitiative.org/citizenscience.

Biochar is a solid, charcoal-like material obtained from the carbonization of biomass using a process called pyrolysis. Biochar has been shown to increase soil fertility, improve water retention, reduce soil emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce leaching of nutrients in the soil, and reduce soil acidity. Biochar also has appreciable carbon sequestration value and may one day be considered as a major mitigation strategy for climate change.

Conceived in England by Dr. Girardin as a way to generate data on how biochar affects plant growth in different soil types around the UK, The Big Biochar Experiment currently has over 300 participants. Comprised of regular citizens from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the study was started in the Fall of 2011 and is only now starting to gather results. SBI heard of the effort, contacted Dr. Girardin, and asked if we could collaborate with her, promising to add our results to her study. She is also working with groups in Asia and Australia, making this the largest international study of biochar yet undertaken, and the only study using a large number of “citizen scientists” to gather the data.

SBI and the Sonoma Valley High School Earth Club are looking for 50 gardeners in the Sonoma Valley willing to take part in the project. This could include individuals, school gardens, community gardens, or even nurseries. Participants will be supplied with free biochar and compost and given instructions on preparing 2 – 1 meter square plots, planting, and harvesting according to a set of guidelines. Participants must be willing to photograph the plots and record leaf, stem and root weights at harvest. All of the data will be gathered by SBI and sent to Dr. Giardin at the end of November.

Please contact Raymond Baltar at raymond@sonomabiocharinitiative.org by April 19th if you are interested in taking part in this pilot study. Distribution of the biochar/compost will be done on April 21st. We are hoping to secure a grant to ramp up the number of gardens to 300+ next year.